Allston Woman Says She Was Abducted Trying To Get Into Ride Share
Update (2/17): Boston Police announced Monday the incident was a misunderstanding and the driver will not face charges.
BOSTON (CBS) -- Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is urging caution after an Allston woman has told Boston police she was abducted and held against her will early Sunday morning trying to get into what she thought was a ride-share car at Faneuil Hall. She says she was able to break out of the car and was taken safely back to Allston by a passerby.
The woman, who is in her early 20s, told police she was trying to get home after visiting at a bar in Faneuil Hall and called a Lyft ride-share car around 12:50 a.m. Her phone died, and she got into the back of a car she thought was the Lyft car that she says was likely silver or tan. It is unclear whether the car was a Lyft car or a ride-share car at all.
"We're asking people when you're out at night – be careful. Be careful of – we've heard many cases in the past where women getting into SUVs assuming they're their Lyft or Uber drivers and they turn out not to be," Walsh said. "Those apps have ... I believe they have pictures on them and things like that so you should be looking to make sure the driver matches the app. Make sure the car matches the app."
Police said she told them a black male driver started driving, but instead of going to Allston, he drove her 30 minutes north, at which point she was held against her will. The car stopped at a gas station and another man came up to the car and tried to grab her through the back window. She told police she was then able to kick the back door of the car open and ran.
The woman told police she flagged down a passerby who took her safely back to Allston. The woman denied emergency medical services and said she was not assaulted.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing, and no arrests have been made. No further information has been released.
"Don't just randomly jump into a black SUV or a car you think is an Uber or Lyft. Be careful with that," Walsh said.
